Sounds of the Universe

Starlight Starbright is sprinkled with sound derived from the barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Eridanus (NGC 1300). The idea behind sonifying galaxies was to make them sound like windchimes in the sky. The Extragalactic Database has dozens of files describing the spectra of various galaxies, giving values of the intensities of various light frequencies. As with the cosmic microwave background sonifications (described in Slow Joe Rain), these spectral files were translated into melodies by assigning intensity values to pitches, so that brighter frequencies were played as higher pitches. These pitches were played of after another, stepping through the data for frequencies going from low to high. This approach translates the contour of the spectral plot into a melody. The timbre chosen was a gong-like sound. To get rhythmic variety suggesting windchimes, the differences in intensity between successive values figured into the amount of time between each strike of the “gong,” as well as the volume of each gong strike. This creates rhythms through the irregular accents and delays between each strike.

This approach was used for a variety of galactic sonifications that appeared throughout the album. For variety, different sounds were chosen for different galaxies — some sounded like gongs, bells, wooden chimes, and so on. All of them had this same approach to pitch, rhythm, and volume.

"The hours spent with Fred were pure nourishment to me. Wherever we were—whether it was in Paris, London, or the Library of Congress—he had this great rhythm. I couldn’t imagine Fred on the dance floor, but with a book in his hand, he was Nureyev."This site is dedicated to my dear friend and colleague Fredric Lieberman. The man with the well stretched ear.